Truck driver Jose Carbajal crosses the country with his best friend, Mr. Midnight.
Mr. Midnight is an eight-month-old pup and has lived with Carbajal and his family. He loves going with his Dad on long-haul drives.
“He has a great personality,” Carbajal told The Dodo. “He is an amazing dog and a great friend. He loves to ride in the truck and look out the window at all the scenery. We have been all across the country and he loves it.”
On a recent trip, Carbajal developed stomach pain. He hesitated to seek medical help because of Mr. Midnight. The dog could tell something was wrong with his best buddy.
“For those 15 hours that I was in pain Mr. Midnight knew that something was wrong,” Carbajal said. “He would not eat or drink or be his joyful self. I would catch him staring at me with sad eyes.”
He needed emergency appendix surgery when he eventually got to the hospital. But it wasn’t the operation that terrified him.
“When I was told by the doctor that I was going to have emergency surgery I didn’t want to do it because I had no idea what was going to happen to Mr. Midnight,” Carbajal said. “He was inside my 18-wheeler waiting for me to come back. I was more worried about Mr. Midnight than I was about myself.”
Carbajal told the doctors about his condition. The dog was in the car. Who would care for him? But a bunch of kind nurses found Mr. Midnight a place to stay while his dad sought treatment.
Surgical tech Deanna Mahaley learned about Carbajal’s struggle from ER staff. Her family already had three dogs and three cats and were eager to take in another.
“After Jose’s surgery and before my next one, I contacted the ER nurse who put me in touch with the ultrasound tech, Wendy Johnson, who had the information,” Mahaley said. “I quickly texted my husband her info as I was scrubbing in for my next case and my husband went and got Mr. Midnight, with the help of Wendy. When I got off work, I went upstairs to Jose’s room and introduced myself, and let him know who it was exactly watching his dog.”
Mr. Midnight stayed with Mahaley’s family while Carbajal recovered. He got along well with their other pets and became a family member. If she and her family hadn’t stepped up, who knows what would have happened to Mr. Midnight. While waiting for his dad to recover, he made many new friends.
“When I heard Jose had a puppy in his truck, my mind couldn’t get over the fact that the poor thing was probably scared to death that his owner was absent for so long,” Mahaley said. “It was killing me. I honestly didn’t even think about how he’d do in the presence of my animals or kids, it just all happened as if it was meant to be.”
Carbajal has recovered and reunited with his dog. Carbajal’s family is appreciative of everybody who helped. New friendships have been formed with each nurse and tech.
“They will always have a special place in my heart, and Mr. Midnight will never forget them and all the love they gave him,” Carbajal said.
Source: Life With Dogs
